Polycarbonate Balustrades

rampantbunny

I've a long expanse of concrete retaining wall at back of house which I'll need to put a fence on top at some point. I want shelter from wind, but would like to avoid anything that would block the view.

Was wondering if anyone had used polycarbonate sheeting for this sort of thing?
Quick look online and I see prices are expensive depending on the thickness a person is looking for. No idea of prices for toughened glass but I'd expect glass to be more expensive..plus harder to drill if you wanted to mount it etc.

While I'm at it...anyone used polycarbonate sheets in place of glass balustrade around stairs?

I see you can buy twin wall and triple wall sheets, but I'd be looking to install clear solid sheets but the price is off the charts

antiskeptic

rampantbunny wrote: »

I've a long expanse of concrete retaining wall at back of house which I'll need to put a fence on top at some point. I want shelter from wind, but would like to avoid anything that would block the view.

Was wondering if anyone had used polycarbonate sheeting for this sort of thing?
Quick look online and I see prices are expensive depending on the thickness a person is looking for. No idea of prices for toughened glass but I'd expect glass to be more expensive..plus harder to drill if you wanted to mount it etc.

While I'm at it...anyone used polycarbonate sheets in place of glass balustrade around stairs?

I see you can buy twin wall and triple wall sheets, but I'd be looking to install clear solid sheets but the price is off the charts

I can't see poly as an option. You need, as you say, decent thickness for rigidity. You would probably want something like Margard which has anti-scratch coating (using on motorcycle helmet visors) else it'll scratch when being cleaned. Then you've UV protection to deal with. All leading to a specialist product and expense.

There are those clamp brackets you see in glass panelled stairs and the like which clamp the glass into place and are forgiving, thus, of non-perfect construction of the frame. You could have the frame done in mild steel with mounting points welded on for the (typically stainless steel) clamping brackets. That and toughened glass (which would strike as cheaper than plastic) would give you a permanent solution. Else use that wired glass - far cheaper and easily available - especially if the area isn't going to be exposed to kids bikes and the like. You'd just have to take advice from the glazier / get the glazier to round the cut edges to stop folk shredding themselves. Can't imagine the wire would restrict your view much.

rampantbunny

antiskeptic wrote: »

I can't see poly as an option. You need, as you say, decent thickness for rigidity. You would probably want something like Margard which has anti-scratch coating (using on motorcycle helmet visors) else it'll scratch when being cleaned. Then you've UV protection to deal with. All leading to a specialist product and expense.

There are those clamp brackets you see in glass panelled stairs and the like which clamp the glass into place and are forgiving, thus, of non-perfect construction of the frame. You could have the frame done in mild steel with mounting points welded on for the (typically stainless steel) clamping brackets. That and toughened glass (which would strike as cheaper than plastic) would give you a permanent solution. Else use that wired glass - far cheaper and easily available - especially if the area isn't going to be exposed to kids bikes and the like. You'd just have to take advice from the glazier / get the glazier to round the cut edges to stop folk shredding themselves. Can't imagine the wire would restrict your view much.

Hadn't considered wired glass...will have a google to see what it looks like in bulk. Whatever material I go with I've planned to slot into a frame. Thick timber posts with slots cut. This would support the plastic/glass for the full vertical height. Also planned doing something similar on bottom by cutting a channel along concrete wall.

16mm triple wall polycarbonate is used for canopies and glass houses. I'm sure it would be rigid enough for a fence provided the span is kept sensible - but I'm not sure it would look the part.

For stairs balustrade...the polycarbonate is touted to be lighter and a lot stronger than glass. I'm installing a cantilevered stairs and thought polycarbonate would be ideal for this sort of application due to the its weight v glass. But scratch resistance might be a problem alright.

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